Kenya's KEMRI becomes first African institutional member of the Dengue Alliance

The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) has become the first African institutional member of the Dengue Alliance, a group of research institutions working on treatments for the disease. KEMRI said the membership was announced on 27 October at the Alliance's meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Alliance was established in 2022. It brings together research institutions from dengue-endemic countries and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) to develop safe, affordable treatments. There is currently no specific antiviral treatment for dengue, KEMRI said, and Alliance partners are researching candidates that include antivirals and host-directed therapies.

Dengue outbreaks have been documented in Kenya since 1982, and all four dengue virus serotypes have been detected in the country, according to KEMRI.

KEMRI's earlier dengue work includes studies of patients with fever, studies of mosquito populations, and work on how well local Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can transmit different serotypes of the virus.

Dr Eric Muok, KEMRI's Acting Director of Research and Development, called the membership "a significant milestone" for the institute. He will represent KEMRI in the Alliance with Dr Steve Wandiga and Principal Research Scientist Dr Fredrick Eyase.

Dr André Siqueira, Head of the Global Dengue Programme at DNDi, said KEMRI's expertise in clinical research, diagnostics, surveillance and outbreak response would help ensure that dengue research meets the needs of affected African populations.

KEMRI's Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer, Prof Elijah Songok, urged the team to "make the most of this platform to strengthen collaborations, share African evidence and contribute to research that can ultimately improve the prevention, diagnosis and management of dengue".